


dust

by epifania



Category: Interstellar (2014)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Canon, this is really just a bunch of loose thoughts that evolved into a mini-fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:29:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epifania/pseuds/epifania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>and when humanity finally catches up, they greet the first ark with their hands tightly intertwined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dust

**Author's Note:**

> i started writing down thoughts on _interstellar_ after seeing it the second time and a few loose reflections evolved into this weird little thing. since there's so little in the movie's tag, i thought i'll publish it.  
>  unbeta'd, any mistakes you might spot are caused by a) the fact that i'm not a native speaker and b) i literally pulled this out of my ass between two very boring classes today.

when cooper sets out for edmund’s planet, he expects to find brand deep in cryosleep, awaiting either death or salvation; whichever finds her first. when he arrives, though, he doesn’t get to play the role of the handsome prince. there’s no sleeping beauty waiting to be awakened by a true love’s kiss.

(and it’s a good thing, because their story is many things, but a fairy tale is not one of them.)

(another thing you learn once you have children is that no love can equal that of a parent. somehow, all stories leave that part out. a childless father’s kiss wouldn’t work anyway.)

when coop lowers the ship to the ground, she watches, shielding her mouth from the cloud of dust raised by the engines - a grim reminder of the place they have once called home. she’s a bit too thin, and a bit too pale, but her posture is steady and proud, and her red-rimmed eyes are full of stubborn hope.

when coop takes his helmet off, she does not run to him. there are no hugs, no kisses, not even a surprised laugh. his tentative smile and a ‘hello again, doctor brand’ are met with a wide-eyed stare and a disbelieving shake of her head. for each step he takes towards her, she takes two back. her mouth opens and closes as if she was trying to say something but could not find the words she needed.

(she looks like she just saw a ghost, but that’s okay. he’s used to being one.)

it takes three days and countless assurances from coop and both robots for her to believe that she is not, in fact, hallucinating. when she finally touches him (she refused to touch either cooper or TARS before, fearing they might disappear at the slightest contact), silent tears are streaming down her face. she puts her hands on his chest, then on his cheeks, and they remain like that, motionless, for a few minutes.

then, before coop can register what’s happening, she leans back and punches him square in the jaw.

(”what the hell was that for?!”)

(”i was _right_ , you shithead! and you didn’t listen!”)

(”alright, jesus! i know you were. note to self: trust brand’s gut from now on. just don’t hit me anymore, okay?”)

(she does not say: you left me. i was alone for so long. wolf is dead. you were dead. i thought they were all dead. i lost everything, and so did you. it’s not your fault, but you can’t really punish the universe for fucking up your life and after so much time with a taciturn robot as a sole companion i just really needed to punch something.)

(he knows anyway.)

and then they laugh, and they cry, and they talk. the stations are much slower than cooper’s ship, so they have plenty of time to explore their new home and prepare it before anyone else arrives. and maybe one night he finds himself in her bed. maybe one day sleeping together turns into making love. maybe one day they stop being cooper and brand, and become joseph and amelia instead. and when humanity finally catches up, they greet the first ark with their hands tightly intertwined.


End file.
